Let's get caught up.

So, the last time we wrote, it was coming out of El Mirador trek. The next day, which would be I believe the 12th of May. You see, when you travel for long periods of time, dates and days of the week seem to blur. People might ask you what day it is, is it Monday or is it Tuesday, and you realize that you haven't thought about that particular question for at least a few days, so you look back to the last day you know. Okay, when we were in Mexico, we left on a Tuesday, then we spent, wait was it four or five nights we were in Flores? So you quickly lose track of days of the week, needless to say weeks of the month.

So, returning to Flores from the Guatemalan jungle, we spent one day simply sitting around, writing our blog, relaxing and just taking it easy. I did manage to find the motivation to go out and buy a cheap guitar. 35 US Dollars is not too expensive for a 3/4 size guitar, I suppose, but it's really worth what I paid for. Not exactly a great specimen of guitar. But it's keeping me happy and doing the trick.

The next day, the 13th, we went up to Tikal.

This archeological site is well known to be one of the most beautiful mayan sites in existence, and it lived up to it's reputation. Temples high, steps steep, jungle surrounding the uncovered beauty, hidden by nature for centuries. It was truly a magnificent site to see, especially after seeing El Mirador, which is, in theory, supposed to be even bigger and better than Tikal, but still uncovered and unreconstructed.

Personally, I prefer the ruins hidden in swathes of trees and vines. It feels more remote and untouched, somehow more connected with the force that overtook a world renowned civilization. Yet seeing the uncovered and reconstructed version of the work was fascinating, being able to more correctly imagine at least a part of the mayan life, small may it be.

On the 14th, we left for Semuc Champey. We were originally planning on simply heading to Lanquin, from there we were going to head to La Candelaria and then up to Semuc, but things didn't quite work out like that, so when we arrived to Lanquin, we decided to head all the way to Semuc. The last half hour of the trip was made in the back of a pickup truck, with torrential rain pouring down on a tarp, which my head was pushing against.

Not really a problem, but still kind of funny. The next day (the 15th, if you're counting) we headed into the park, which was nothing short of the expectations set by other travellers.

Semuc Chammpey is a combination of pools and a tunnel. The muddy river thunders below through a cave, approximately a kilometer long.

Then, as a sort of bridge over the whole thing, small steams collect in turquoise blue waters, forming pools formed by years of ancient seashells collecting upon each other. Each pool fed into each other, until they all finally fed back into the muddy river which had finished it underground path and exited to the light of day through a waterfall of clear water.

In other words, it was absolutely amazing. We only left because we had some caves to look at. Which is it's own story.

The Cuevas de Marias are a series of caves that you can climb through, with a careful guide. The light? Candles. We started off not knowing exactly what we had gotten ourselves into, but knowing it would be purely Guatemalan, which it was. We were quickly wading through water, holding candles high. Then, we climbed up ladders, then climbed down ladders, then were quickly SWIMMING with candles. Swimming with candles is no easy task, in case you've ever tried it. One hand high out of the water to keep the flame free from splashes, one hand paddling, both feet kicking, quite likely hitting an underwater rock or two that would only bruise the next day. To return, we had to squeeze through a very small area that I'm quite sure some overweight people would have to be pushed through. We landed in a pool of water, once again with our candle held high. Quite the experience, and an enjoyable one at that.

The next day, which would be the 16th, we awoke at 4:30am to catch a bus to Chisec. We had met some people on the way who we had convinced that this would be absolutely amazing to see some other caves called La Candelaria. So they all got up with us. If it had been a bad tour, I would have felt guilty having told so many people that this was a thing to see, but it worked out well, so I'm actually not sorry at all. We caught a 5am bus to Coban, where we took a 8am bus to Chisec, where we arrived around 10:30 or so. We managed to find a decent hotel and check in. Then we asked ourselves when to head to the caves. 1pm, we said, but quickly to nap before. Okay, a quick powernap, then off.

Well, we had lunch, and then went to bed around 12pm or so. 1pm arrived, and we were still tired, so we put it off till 2pm. Then 2pm rolled around and we all slept right through it. Right until 6pm. Apparently we were tired. When we woke up, we were still a bit sleepy, though actually quite rested. We decided to go swimming at the nice hotel in town, which was a fabulous idea. A bit expensive, but there was a long slide through a tree trunk, multiple pools for kids and adults, a trampoline, and multiple birds cooped up in tiny cages. What more could you ask for in return for a $3 entrance fee? Not much more, I say. We continued the festivities until deep into the night.

So the NEXT day, we woke up, minus one person who had to leave, and headed to the caves around 12.

The Candelaria caves were fabulous. I would say easily better than the one we had seen at Semuc Champey. They were enormous. Absolutely huge.

And, what's better, we had the opportunity to tube through them. Yes, inner tubes, through ancient stalactites and stalagmites, passing through and underground river with headlamps and bathing suits on. Not often you make that combination. Really can't complain about it at all. It was a bit difficult to find and organize, especially being a Sunday when everything is closed and most people are drunk, but it did work out well.

The way back was interesting as well. We waited for about 45 minutes, and then finally a combi came by that we flagged down to take us back to Chisec from the Candelaria.

There was, however, no room in the combi, so we hopped up top. 30 minutes ride on the top of a combi van through tight turns, speed bumps, and other sorts of traffic violations. It was quite the experience to remember, that is for certain. I think it was a first for us all. Then, to top it off, we were walking to the hotel from the bus drop off and ran into some people that were hanging out with us in Semuc Champey. Just randomly like that, walking down the street. We ended up spending the rest of the day with them sharing stories and passing the time together. Quite a few hours were spent around a drained pool, complete with a blown up beach ball ready for whenever they filled the pool.

Today was a short trip to Coban, where we are currently resting at a posh hostel, complete with free internet and a great looking restaurant. I spied an espresso machine right off the bat and was sold. Tomorrow we're heading down to Antigua to start the southern guatemalan portion of the trip. Step by step we go south. We may need to pick up the pace a bit, since we've been taking our good old time and lounging around. Can't really complain too much, but I just looked at the map, and we have a very long way to go.